Reevaluating Your Ideal Client

The new year is an ideal time to examine your marketing strategy, but you may decide to make even deeper changes to your company’s goals. By looking back at the successes and challenges of the past year, you may even decide to make a fundamental change. What prospects should you try to attract in 2019? Should you redefine your ideal client? Here are some factors you may want to consider as you evaluate your client base.

Envision the Future

Ultimately, being a financial advisor gives you the flexibility to pursue very specific goals. Every year, you should take time to imagine what your perfect future looks like on a large scale. Who are you helping? What functions and roles make you the happiest at this point in time? Will there be any planned changes to your life over the next few years that may affect your priorities? As you walk yourself through these questions, you may end up aligning your professional goals to match the personal.

Consider Your Current Crop of Clients

Look back at the interactions you had over the entirety of 2018. What clients were a delight to work with? What specializations and functions did you enjoy most? Reviewing your workload over the past year can guide your marketing efforts and help you decide what type of clients to target in the future. From there, you can create content to meet their needs and build a business that aligns with your values. Whether you are expanding your ideal market or looking at ways to hone it in, considering your favorite aspects of financial advising can help you take the next steps.

What if Certain Clients Don’t Align?

Inevitably in your career, you will find that some partnerships just don’t work out. Though this can put you in a tricky place as a financial advisor, you can create an easy transition for your clients that will still leave them with a positive impression of your services. If you determine that you need to transition out certain clients, provide them with various options and hold their hand through the transition. If you are passing them on to another team member, introduce the clients to their new advisor either by email or in person. Ideally, you can also create a smooth transition when moving them to another firm, though the client may have to be more involved in this case. Above all, be kind and courteous in thanking them for the opportunity, and mention that the new advisor will have more bandwidth to deliver excellent service.

As you evaluate your favorite aspects of financial advising, you may find yourself adjusting or refining your ideal client. Every year, you should review your personal highlights to determine what career path will deliver you personal fulfilment at work, and this will help guide your marketing strategy moving forward.